Long overdue update

Do you remember several months ago when I wrote about my friend J.M. who we found out had cancer? If you need a little memory "jogger," click here. I promised then that I would keep you updated as to how she was doing, and I have been horrible about keeping my promise. A lady in our church recently began an email devotional ministry, and this week Jenny is writing the emails. I wanted to share yesterday's with you because it explains very clearly the journey she and her family have been on since December. I pray it encourages you and reminds you of the POWER of our Holy God!

"1 Peter 2:24 – “He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.”

This is the third part of my story. We already know there is cancer, but are just beginning the journey…

We went to M D Anderson, in Houston, and saw an oncologist. I was diagnosed as Stage IV breast cancer and recommended to begin hormone treatment, instead of chemotherapy, because I was really still in excellent health in spite of being Stage IV. I had a PET scan, which shows where the cancer is in your body, and was very discouraged when I saw the scan. The cancer shows up as black spots in the scan and they were everywhere in my bones. The doctor’s report said there were “innumerable” metastases throughout my bones. We already knew it was in my bones, because I had broken ribs and a fracture in my spine from the cancer already, but still we weren’t quite prepared to see what we saw that day.

Steve and I returned home, with discouragement threatening to cloud our hearts and minds. A couple of nights later, I was lying in bed, thinking and praying about all this. It was like I heard the Father say, “You didn’t want M D Anderson to get the glory for healing you, so what better way? When that PET scan is clear, they will know it was My hand!” I told Steve the next morning what God had spoken to my heart and said, “We wanted God to do something big, where there would be no doubt it was Him, and He is preparing the way for that to happen!” It’s amazing how that changed a circumstance that was threatening discouragement in our lives into anticipation of what He was going to do! (We have to be careful to keep our eyes on Jesus and not on circumstances!)

Let’s fast forward to March. We went back to Houston for a three month evaluation of treatment. They scheduled a mammogram, ultra sound, MRI of the breast and a PET scan. The first news we received was from the doctor who comes in after ultrasounds and she told us that the big news was that my lymph node was smaller. We were excited and called the kids and sent out text messages. Then the second thing that happened was the MRI of my breast got cancelled. This was very exciting to me because I dreaded that test more than anything and had asked several people to pray specifically for me when I was supposed to be having it. I was already in scrubs, with an I V in my arm when the nurse came and asked why I was having it again so soon after one in December. I told her we were evaluating my treatment. She said they were paging the doctor because they didn’t believe I needed this test (how often does that happen?). The MRI tech came back in and reported she had spoken with my doctor and we weren’t doing the test. Let me tell you that was a wonderful blessing! (Once again, I was reminded that God cared about all my concerns… “Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7)

The best thing that happened was after the PET scan. I saw my doctor on Friday and his PA came in and was telling me how wonderful my test results were. The PET scan that had been summarized as “innumerable” metastases now said that there was “complete or near complete metabolic response.” I asked the PA, “So that means it’s not any worse, maybe even slightly better?” She said, “No, it means it almost all gone!” Praise the Lord! Psalm 103:2 – 3 says, “Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Within three months, God had almost completely removed all the cancer from my body! There were spots on my liver that were now gone and bones that had looked like Dalmatians, now just had a few places left with cancer in them.

Did God do this because I’m worthy? No, He did this because He is faithful to His Word. I still have to go for treatments and my bones need to be strengthened where the cancer is leaving them, but God is honoring His Word! By His wounds you have been healed. Blessed be His Name!!

O Lord God, we honor You for all that You have done! We praise Your name that You have chosen us and You love us, even though in ourselves we are nothing. We thank You for Your faithfulness and ask You to be glorified in our lives. We pray that the Body of Christ will be built up and glorified because of what You have done and all people will be drawn to You! Blessed be Your Name! It’s in the name of Jesus, Your Son, we pray. Amen.

Start Your Engines!

This past Sunday Daniel took the Galaxie for a test-drive. Grant it, it still desperately needs a paint job (you'll see in the video where he's started painting), and there are no seats (they are currently at the shop being recovered), BUT we are getting VERY close to the day when I will get my garage back! Can I get an AMEN?! :)

I spared you from having to hear me sing the "Halleluiah Chorus" on the video, but know that we were ALL very excited for this moment!

Moving up the number line

He's moving on up...

I'm Dirty

I don't know if you recall, but almost 5 months ago (yes, 5!), we were given a "new" car...and I use the word "new" VERY loosely! If you somehow missed that post, click here to read all about it. When Daniel pulled the car out of the woods and to our house, he promised me it would be in our driveway a very short time. I think his exact words were, "just until I get it running." As he began to look over the car and realized it needed an entirely new motor, his next step was to move the car into our garage so he could remove the motor. So, the next promise was, "It will be in the garage a maximum of 2 weeks." Hmm...that was about 4 months ago. :) Our two vehicles that DO run and we use on a daily basis were kicked out of the garage and parked in the cold, rain, snow, sleet, etc. while the beloved Galaxie enjoyed it's warm and cozy home.

Before the new motor could be reinstalled, Daniel wanted to sandblast the body to remove rust and make sure it was smooth for when he was ready to paint. I asked him where he was planning to sandblast, and he said, "in the garage!" For some reason, that just didn't sound like the best idea to me, but being the submissive wife that I am (ha!), I went with it....after sharing my concerns with him. :)

About to get to work

Future sandblaster in the making

Hard at work

This is what our garage looked like after he was finished...

Just in case you needed a closer look.

There was sand everywhere! I mean everywhere! I'm thankful I bought him a heavy duty shop-vac for Christmas...it proved itself and did a great job of cleaning up the garage. And, now Riley has a sandbox to play in in the backyard. :)

Ok, fast forward to last weekend. The motor was finally done and Daniel and a friend went to pick it up. I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the long tunnel!

Taking it off the truck

Being very careful as they moved it toward the front of the car

Lowering it down

And then it was time to put the fender's on...which Daniel and I did on Sunday and Monday night after Riley was in bed...no rest for the weary :)

And then the hood! It's beginning to look like a car again!

As I type this, Daniel and his buddy are doing some more small jobs. We're waiting for a couple more parts for the engine (I'd tell you what they are, but honestly, I can't remember, nor do I know what they do) and then he should be able to attempt to crank it! I'm pretty sure I will hear angels singing if/when that car starts. I might even bust out in the Halleluiah Chorus...you never know. :) Then all we need are some seats (which are being recovered by a sweet man in town) and a little paint job.

Throughout this whole process, Daniel's come inside very dirty many days. Riley usually wants him to pick him up immediately, and Daniel will say, "let me wash my hands first." The other day he came in and was filthy all over...not just his hands. Riley was ready to be held, but this time Daniel said, "I can't hold you right now. I'm dirty." We didn't think much of him saying, "I'm dirty," but evidently little man internalized that statement and saved it to use at a later time. The next day, Daniel walked in from the church office and when Riley heard him he said, "Daddy. I'm dirty!" We laughed so hard! Ever since then, he walks around the house randomly saying, "I'm dirty!" This morning he took it to a new level, though, and I was able to catch it on video.

I had some overly ripe bananas on the counter this morning, and when I brought him in the kitchen for breakfast he looked at them and said...



"Dirty bananas!" I laughed so hard! I sure do love the mind of 1 1/2 year olds! I'm thankful for these fun (and funny!) moments I can share with this precious gift from God. And, I'm thankful for technology that will somewhat capture them so we can look back for years to come!

Happy Birthday, GiGi!

This is Daniel's sweet grandmother, Betty Moore. We know her as Nin, and Riley knows her as GiGi.

Today is her birthday! I won't tell you how old she is, but let's just say she looks amazing for her age! Every time she comes to visit I am in awe of how easily she gets down on the floor and crawls around with Riley. How thankful I am that our son gets to spend quality time with his great-grandmother! Memories to last a lifetime!

Riley wanted to share with GiGi his own special message...

Happy Birthday, Nin/GiGi! We love you!

We've made it past 1!

If you'll remember back to a previous post, Riley was having trouble getting past 1 when counting. Well, he's conquered it and there's proof below!

*You may need to turn up your volume in order to hear all of what he says.
**Please disregard the southern "five" you hear at the end from the camerawoman. She is in denial over the Texan accent that may or may not be manifesting itself in her Floridian body.

Amazed

I don't know if any of you ever struggle with this, but sometimes when I get so excited or overwhelmed by something God's done, I have a hard time putting it all into words. I'm going to do my best to share what has transpired in the past 48 hours, but know that what is read on this post is only .001% of the excitement, joy and AWE I am feeling at this moment!

Monday afternoon I was doing what I normally do while Riley's napping...checking email, catching up on FB and blogs, etc. I noticed my friend Monica had updated her blog and I was excited to see new ways to pray for she and her family (they are missionaries in Swaziland - a small country inside South Africa). As I read down the list, I got to the part where she listed different volunteer teams that will be helping them the next few months. I looked over the list quickly and one group caught my eye..."some of the camp staff of Camp WorldLight are coming in late July/August." Camp WorldLight is the camp where I served in Florida for 8 summers. One of my closest friends is the director, so I figured she must be taking the team.

**Side note: For those of you who did not know, I served as a Journeyman in South Africa from January 2003 to November 2004. Monica and her husband, Steve, were in Swaziland at the same time. Monica and I also served on camp staff together in Florida before either of us went overseas. I consider her one of my mentors, so since I lived only 2 1/2 hours from her while in Africa, I spent quite a bit of time in Swaziland.

Back to Monday...after finding out about the team going to Swaziland, I sent a short text to Anne (the director) telling her how excited I was she was taking a team back to Swaziland (she went on a short-term trip there in the late 90's). I never dreamed I would receive the text back that she ended up sending. "Yeah! I am so excited about going back. July 29-August 10. You want to go?" If I wouldn't have already been sitting down, I probably would have fallen on the floor right then. You see, I have been praying for over 6 years that the Lord would make a way for me to go back to the land I grew to love so much. At the risk of sounding cheesy, I honestly left a part of my heart in South Africa when I returned to the U.S. in 2004. I told her that after consulting the Lord and my husband, I would let her know. When Daniel came home from work and I told him, his first word was, "GO!" He knows (boy does he know!) how badly I've wanted to return. We decided to think/pray about it and talk about it some more that night and then I'd give Anne my decision the next morning. By the time I went to bed Monday night, I knew I wanted to go. The only possible glitch, though, was she had to make sure with her travel agent that another ticket could be purchased. So even if I decided the Lord was leading me to go, that didn't necessarily seal the deal.

I called Anne Tuesday morning and told her my decision. She said once she heard something back from the travel agent she'd let me know. Tuesday came and went, and I heard nothing. "Be anxious for nothing..." - yeah, that was a hard verse to put into practice yesterday! Thankfully the waiting came to an end this morning when Riley and I went to the park, and as we were playing I got a text from Anne saying, "You're in!" The only way I knew to respond to that was, "God, You are amazing!" I mean, He literally placed this trip in my lap! So many truths can be gleaned from this experience, but one that is standing out so clearly to me is the importance of persisting in prayer. He knows our hearts, and He knows our desires. If we are seeking His will and His glory, He will give us the desires of our hearts! We must trust Him with those desires, though! We also must trust that His timing is absolutely perfect!

Well, since I have about 5 months to write more about this upcoming trip, I guess I'll close for now. :) I would ask prayer for a couple of things, though.

*Please pray that God provides the finances...it's not cheap to fly to Africa! :)
*Please pray that God will begin preparing Riley for my being gone over 2 weeks. He's at the fun age where separation anxiety is in full-swing, and I'm going to be praying that God helps him to know that while I'm gone he'll be just fine.
*Please pray for the hearts of those we come in contact with in Swaziland. May the Holy Spirit begin working on them now!

Thank you so much for reading this long post and praying with me! Like I said, mere words cannot even come close to expressing how grateful I am to the Lord. To HIM be all the glory for this exciting turn of events in my life!